New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-01
WHAT SHAKESPEARE MEANT.

all who have written for the stage That Mr. Bouc
cault differs from me this point know-and regret
but my opinion remains unchanged. There are pas
sages in Macbeth" for instance, finer than any which
find in The shaugnraun" And though 1t may be poo
fuller that will not rule both ways, cannot conscien
tiousy say that find in "he shanghrsan, nor even ii
" rhe Colleen Bawn," any passages finer than find
Macbeth Boucicault is my friend; Bronson Howard II
my friend; but have admiration for Shakespeare
than for either
OF Shakespeare have always been close student;
Hamlet" especially. Indeed in the palmy days OF thu
drama was upon the free list and enjoyed opportunities
whioh-but never mind the mill can never grind Will
the passes which have been revoked These are days
Interstate regulations Let the dead Past passsince
cannot
In the course OF my studies which, have before
remarked, were close and exhaustng-very exhaustng-
DIN the golden days OF the drama when was upon
the free list made divers interpretations and emenda
lions and perhaps misprinted passages which
IN my youthful modesty mover offered to the public
Having survived much OF my modesty and successfully
subdued most OF the accompanying YOUTH now venture
to step forward a commentator
An ounce of Specification is worth pound OF nterven
ton If but taken in time. so
Abuses damn me
makes no sense. But read Abuses me. too. damn me-
and you have phrase probably Of the period Assist
that phrase OF the period couple Of commas and the
meaning becomes perfectly plain. you see.
"You may nose him in tho lobby" was undoubtedly
written "You may know him in the lobby" II printers
and prooreaders but knew enough in all cases to follow
their knows In such would spare readers much
trouble.
AS is well known Shakespeare was no great scholar
genuses seldom are cTis questionable II even could
get through page Of Theocrus IN the original without
staggerng) And grammatical apses, assisted by typo
graphical and ophthamiatc proofreader might
very well make Of it (As when I the other
oNA adH To ny
god Is it not then, reasonable to suppose that the
vexed passage about knowing hawk from hand-saw
was written originally:
I know q hawk from q hen-saw when the wind Is
southerly.
southerly wind in Denmark, let me explain almost
certainly brings with it fog And to be able TO distin-
guish between the hen and the hawk that was flying
away with it when fog must have seemed a
remarkable piece Of an Englishman
passage makes good enough sense land GRAMMAR II
read:
know hawk from q hen-seen when the wind is
southerly.
Transpositons are not uncommon as we'll as positive
errata Thus we have You base football player" In
stead Of "You fool baseball player" And "base sec
ond" (see Henry w. l. 81 should beyond question be
second base" Evidently enough "the divine Williams
as the French call him. acquainted with what is
now national game There is frequent reference to
" tho nine" notably in measure for Measure" where
some game said TO have been "overdone by the last
nine" Then, where go you with bats and clubs I 3"
Anon find lament that some player Is "unprovided
OF pair of bases' "With flaming top stoOps to his
base" was probably written Of captain rodheaded
and famous at the bat, like Will Harper.
When Hamlet asks OF Rosenerdnts and Gtadenstern
But in the beaten way OF friendship what make you
here Esinore ~ is IL not fair TO suppose that ne wants
to know not what they are doing In Esnore but how
they dong-wha the profit of their business That
question later on: "Have you further trade with ."
For do not hold with Theophlus Nncomproperus, who
wrote six prove that "let the canded tongue
lick absurd pomp' should read "et the candid tongue
lick meaning chide and reprovel absurd pomp" do
not hold say, with that eminent shakespearian COM
mentator, that Tor trade" We should read TRADE.
After all that been said Of the Bard of Avons mar
veous provisions and intuitions his VISIONS and his
sage advces know no instance more pregnant than:
DO not believe their VOWS, for they are brokers,
not OF that dye which their investments show.
Plainly enough he knew them, had been there, and be-
yond peradyenure Is from the depths Of experience
that as Kent In Lear" be cries "Ca not your stocks
for met"
That Shakespeare greatly In advance Of his day
and generation cannot be denied He invented "guess
while Yankees were yet unknown quantities, using the
word frequently and in the very IN which II
and has been used in the highest circles in and
about Boston But how he to forcsa the darkeys Of
Georgia their phrase OF mummock cut or slash
person or thing badly-f do not know He could have
been never in Atlanta though he somewhere speaks Of
Ataantas better part" Nevertheless the word he
It used by old aunty who was telling me in her
primitive way OF the primal murder "Cain first mum
Knocked Abel" she said. "And warrant how he man.
Knocked It" Shakespeare says-see Coriolanus," l. g..
Che spelling Of II with an instead OF 10 not really
difference Milton uses the same word occasionally
but then he always doing something TO bother the
boys Of subsequent generations whom he knew
would have TO parse him. or men,
DRY serves me rightly no put the horse
before the cart II were possible arrange the OF
words dferenty) That the field hands OF Georgia got
hammock" out OF Milton is not probable since they
never had to parse him. And that after picking cotton
all day they would OF their free will pick Para
disc Lost" cannot believe "Mammock v. l., to break,
tear Is the definition given in the glossary at the end Of
my Shakespeare Why the Same glossary goes on to de-
fine and explain wo rds that are used In no I'M
usual sense do no not know unless 1t be meant for
concentrations alone.
Ihave said "my" Shakespeare II you ask me whose
Shakespeare mine is answer that do not know
for I've forgotten from whom borrowed IT, But the
owner have 1t by proving property paying for the
time occupied in writing this article and taking 1t away
For TO find that about all that worth saying has been
said by who took mean advantage Of being born
two three hundred years before you well could be does
not encourage in literary And the sooner
this book out Of the house the sooner shall be con-
vnced that IT is not rank presumption my part to E
any sense set up author Had he but left any field
unoccupiedl But he did not-Ae eyen wrote poetry.
And seems to have got II published. Fortunately for
Shakespeare there were fancy soaps in his day.
For no sappho has now chance but
she Of the suds. The Tyre OF Apollo Ia
leached-only 1ye remains. Helicon has become
washtub Castian has given place to caste-nothing
Is accepted that will not wash
With the magazines all flooded with saponaceous poet ry
which they paid to print what care they for bars
which are but metrcal-especally IL ask 10 be paid
for them Furnished by the ends with free Illus
tratons too-and such illustrations What with babies
spread out 10 scrubbed and women IN bath tubs the
baletis nowhere-nor does Mr.. Comstock seem to be
And unless the bonebollng and guc-makng industries
open their doors do not see what to become Of US true
poets For it comforts one but little to know that while
there's life there's soap
Returning the poetry OF Shakespeare, 1t was In my
deying that direction that discovered the author OF